1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the design of graphic user interfaces (UIs). More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system that facilitates enhanced UI operations leveraging derivative visual representation.
2. Related Art
Continuing advances in computational speed have led to tremendous improvements in graphics-rendering capabilities, especially in personal computers. Three-dimensional (3D) rendering, once considered a specialized, resource-intensive task, is beginning to be widely used to generate intuitive 3D effects for graphic user interfaces (GUIs).
However, screen size has not increased much in commonly used display devices. This makes it challenging to display large amounts of information, possibly in multiple applications each requiring large amounts of screen space. Consequently, displayed objects often overlap each other, making object manipulation difficult.
Further adding to this challenge is the limitation of conventional 2D pointing devices, such as a mouse. A 2D pointing device has two degrees of freedom, one along the X-axis and the other along the Y-axis. A 3D object, on the other hand, has one additional degree of freedom along the Z-axis. A 3D object is allowed to move not only within, but also “into” and “out of” the plane of the screen. Hence, when 3D objects overlap on a 2D screen, manipulating a target object using a 2D pointing device can be a complicated and frustrating task. Note that such challenges are present not only for 3D UIs but also for conventional 2D UIs as well, particularly with the increasing functionalities and complexities of applications.
In general, traditional input methods are becoming inadequate for manipulating different properties, including on-screen positioning, of applications. As applications grow more sophisticated, it is often desirable to display additional information of the application along with the corresponding visual representation. For example, certain UIs display tooltips or a contextual menu which is raised with a right mouse-click on the active window. However, displaying such information for many objects can visually obscure the objects, which results in a messy representation.
Hence, what is needed is a method that allows a user to manipulate properties or additional information of an application, middleware, or system using a simple input device like a 2D pointing device within a limited screen size in an intuitive and less complicated manner.